Door Won’t Latch: Three Strike Plate Fixes, Easiest to Hardest

A bathroom door that pushes open from the inside because the latch won't catch is, according to The Honest Carpenter's Ethan James, caused 99% of the time by a latch sitting too low on the strike plate. Three fixes follow, each more involved than the last, so a homeowner can try one and move on to the next if it fails.

Finding the cause

The wear pattern on the strike plate shows the problem: the marks the latch leaves, and some polish worn away, show it hitting too low. Another check is to kneel outside the room and sight the latch against the plate by eye, or mark reference points with a pencil.

Fix 1: drive the strike plate down

Using a big screwdriver and a 16-ounce hammer, tap the bottom lip of the strike plate really hard several times. This forces down the wood inside the latch hole. In the demonstration the door still let go at the last second under a hard pull, so it did not work, though he says it sometimes does.

Fix 2: file the strike plate

Remove the screws and plate, then pass a metal file back and forth across the bottom lip, working evenly side to side. The filing can go down to the screw hole but should stop just short of cutting into it. After refitting, the door held pretty well, and he says he could probably walk away from it.

Fix 3: reposition the plate

Move the plate down about an eighth or 3/16 inch, between the old screw hole and the latch hole, without letting the screw hole overlap the latch hole. Mark the new screw holes and trace the bottom edge and corner for chiseling.

• Fill the old screw holes with toothpicks and plenty of superglue, wedged in hard, and let them dry about ten minutes.
• Notch the toothpicks with a utility knife, snap them off flush and tap them down with the hammer.
• Set pin points with a trim nail, then drill with progressively larger bits up to an eighth inch. The wood-filled old holes keep the bit from wandering.
• Hand-set the screws so they cut thread channels.
• Score a line with a utility knife, then use a sharp one-inch chisel to establish depth before gently removing the wood lip. Paring strokes by hand finish it, since the jamb can split or be gouged.
• Mount the plate, then pare out extra wood that could stop the latch from dropping in.

The gap at the top is filled with caulk, wiped with a finger over a few coats, or wood filler, then painted. The latch should then fall near the center of the latch hole, snap into place and hold through a few hard pulls.